Cackle is the story of Annie and how she found her own power after being dumped by her boyfriend. They had been together for years and still shared their Manhattan apartment after he decided they should just be friends. It was too painful for her so she found a new teaching job upstate. She also found a furnished apartment in a small, picture-perfect town with a fabulous coffee shop, farmers’ market, and all the trimmings of cozy Americana. Well, except there are an awful lot of spiders.

Annie meets Sophie, a mesmerizing woman of extraordinary beauty. She is warm, effusive, and charming. She builds up Annie’s self-esteem and introduces her to the town. Oddly, the people seem uncomfortable around Sophie. Annie goes to Sophie’s house, reached by a creepy walk through the woods past some graves but arriving at this fabulous mansion where Sophie lived alone. Well, except there are an awful lot of ghosts.

Are the townspeople right to fear Sophie? Should Annie be warier of her new friend? What about when Annie’s ex comes to ask her to come back?

Well, I loved Cackle. It is not the usual sort of feminist consciousness-raising but that is what makes it fun. Annie does grow from the passive beaten-down woman who left Manhattan brooding constantly about her lost love to a confident woman who can stand on her own. How she does it may not work for you or me, but I am happy to see her cackle.

I received an e-galley of Cackle from the publisher through NetGalley.

Cackle at Berkley | Penguin Random House
Rachel Harrison author site

If you've ever watched a Hallmark movie and wished that the main heroine would have not ended up with the lumberjack/baker/Christmas tree farm owner, but instead would just get herself a witchy gal pal then this book is for you!

“What is it about a woman in full control of herself that is so utterly frightening?”

Reading Cackle was like spending a cozy night in with your best friend. Of course the house is haunted 👻

I loved slipping into Harrison’s word. I love how she writes. Just like with The Return, I found myself reading conversations my friends and I could’ve had in real life. Word for word. I think it’s this relatability that lulled me into this fun, warm place where I forgot that I was actually reading a horror novel. When creepy events would pop up, they felt heightened. The phrase “WTF” was uttered multiple times throughout my time reading.

I absolutely adored Annie’s character developments. There were times I wanted to shake her in hopes it would speed along that growth. But the pacing was true to her character. I do wish we got more of Sophie. I loved the aura of mystery around her and her outlook on life. I’d give anything to move to a small quaint time and meet someone like Sophie. Just another item to add to my “if I lived somewhere fun and fictional” list.

Cackle is all over bookstagram, for good reason, but if you still haven’t grabbed your copy do it now. You won’t regret it. I promise 🕷

The premise of the book was very interesting, unfortunately the voice, execution and writing style were just not what I was looking for at this time. Unfortunately, I did not finish this one

OMG! This one was wicked and adorable and sinister and sweet - all rolled into one female empowerment story. Ralph is by far the star of the novel though - which is perfect for spooky season!

When Annie is dumped by her boyfriend and best friend, she is devastated and moves upstate NY to start a new job and try to piece her life together. Once there she is befriended by Sophie, a fabulous, beautiful woman who seems older than she looks and who the town people seem to fear. When witchy things start happening, are they real or drunken misunderstandings on Annie's part? Can she give up on her dream of getting her boyfriend back or should she be working harder to make him miss her? I loved the magical elements of this and the strength shown by Sophie.

CACKLE IS A DARKLY CHARMING TALE OF FINDING MAGIC IN FEMALE FRIENDSHIP

“I’m not brave enough to be who I am,” Cackle’s protagonist Annie, newly thirty and freshly dumped, bemoans as her attempts to start a second act outside of New York City fizzle into lonely nights of binge-drinking. As a mantra, it starts out bleakly self-loathing; Annie both craves and fears fully embracing some unwashed, antisocial, decaying crone archetype. But by the end of Rachel Harrison’s new novel, the who Annie could be has transformed, as if by magic, from someone who gives up to someone who stops giving a fuck—and looks fabulous doing so. And that’s all because of her witchy new friend Sophie, and the incredible possibilities that she reveals to Annie in this tricksy story that turns out to be a surprisingly feminist treat.

Harrison’s sophomore horror offering starts out with the intensely familiar: her college-era relationship falling apart right at a milestone birthday sends Annie fleeing her longtime New York home for the apple-picking idyll of the Hudson Valley, where she sets up as a high school teacher in the fictional town of Rowan. But while both her students and her neighbors are slow to warm up to her, and her let’s-stay-friends ex Sam is giving her the infinite ellipses treatment in his texts, shy Annie is shocked to immediately strike up a rapport with Sophie. Sophisticated, wise in the ways of the world, and exceedingly generous in her hospitality and mentorship, Sophie seems like an unbelievable savior, the quintessential gingerbread house in the woods for friend-starved Annie.

But just like that fairy tale cottage, there’s a catch: Sophie seems otherworldly in her glamour and perspective because she is not of this world; and Annie’s association with her, for all that it conjures languid afternoons at Sophie’s castle eating homemade pie and spinning around in fancy dresses, hews uncomfortably close to a devil’s bargain. (Fair warning that if you have severe arachnophobia, you may find the casual cameos from spiders of increasing size and frequency too shuddery.) There’s a funny recurring bit in which Sophie plainly reveals her magical nature to Annie on multiple occasions—like delivering a deadpan offer to curse someone—but Annie, thinking her friend is merely sarcastic, fails to catch the subtext until Sophie finally spells it out for her. This occurs early enough that the majority of Cackle concerns Annie’s dilemma over whether to accept her new friend, warts and all.

There are a number of thematic echoes back to Harrison’s debut horror novel The Return, but if that book was riffing on a Lifetime thriller (longtime girlfriends’ reunion crashed by a demonic version of their lost bestie), Cackle transplants us into a cozy Hallmark film and then steadily subverts the setting. Rowan sounds like the perfect upstate New York hamlet in which to restart one’s life, with cute shops (coffee, candles, spirits) and a weekly farmer’s market where everyone greets one another. But while Sophie waltzes through town like a dark Disney princess who has spent hundreds of years handpicking these local delights, the proprietors are all clearly paralyzed by their fear of getting on her bad side.

Sophie immediately begins calling Annie “pet,” a fitting endearment as the younger woman very much resembles a witch’s familiar: bird-thin and cursed with the last name Crane, she gets unfortunate avian comparisons from students and blind dates alike. But as she becomes emboldened by Sophie’s protection and eventual teachings, Annie must find the balance between leaning into the worst version of herself as others see her and still acknowledging the darkness inside her, and the legitimate resentment she fosters for those who once took her love for granted. Yet as much as she admires and emulates Sophie… she doesn’t entirely trust her.

What’s refreshing about this take is that once Annie begins to come into her own magical powers, the conflict does not pivot in the direction of Marvel’s WandaVision, with dueling witches fighting over the heads of the charming town’s terrified residents. Harrison deftly explores the complicated dynamics among the three generations at play—four-hundred-year-old Sophie, thirty-year-old Annie, and her teenage student Madison—who are not fueled by competition but instead linked by the wisdom of experience passed down. Each sees herself reflected in the younger woman, yet also holds up a mirror so that the more insecure one can glimpse her own potential.

That said, some of the book’s characters or relationships come across as underdeveloped, from Madison’s brief bonding moments with Annie to local coffee shop owner (and attractive single dad) Oskar, who seems to be set up as a love interest yet never gets beyond the role of Concerned Townsperson. In keeping Annie at a distance from the rest of Rowan, Harrison unintentionally undercuts the importance of any supporting characters who aren’t one of the two witches.

Yet clearly romance is not the key to Annie’s self-actualization: Sophie gives her enough compelling (if overly prescriptive) speeches about her own trust issues, after centuries of the townspeople and their descendants trying to burn, drown, or otherwise incapacitate her. It would seem that no one can understand Annie but another female pariah who’s already been there—that, and her fuzzy li’l arachnoid sidekicks.

Where Harrison is most clever is in not depicting Annie and Sophie’s friendship as some treacly catch-all for their respective issues. Sophie’s strong personality and centuries of conviction makes her controlling, both in withholding the grislier details of her past and in subtly cutting off Annie’s connections to Sam or other potential allies. Yet she’s also the only person in Rowan, or back home, who really sees Annie. At one point Annie has a mini-epiphany that she, like many young women, latched on to hobbies and identities solely because of whatever boy she was dating at the time. In some ways, Cackle could be read as a continuation of that codependent behavior, as Annie’s nascent powers don’t have a clear origin point. I appreciate that Harrison keeps these aspects ambiguous, allowing for multiple interpretations or projections based on readers’ own varying friendships.

While Cackle could have spent fewer pages on Annie’s fall to rock bottom and more on her flight back up, the book keenly interrogates how women are often forced to compromise on modern relationships, be they romantic or platonic, and how triumphant it can be when they break those destructive cycles. “Maybe the hardest thing for me to believe was that Sophie would want to be my friend,” Annie muses, contemplating that first suspension of disbelief required on her part—because after that initial gesture of friendship, nothing but magic follows.

Feeling witchy? Cackle is a perfect choice for the spooky month of October! This is a quick, entertaining, and occasionally dark read about a woman who moves to a small town and finds a new best friend -- who may be too good to be true. Lots of fun.

I had a few issues with this book but the main one being I didn't feel like this story was going anywhere? I would've loved to delve further into Sophie's life and history and ignored Annie honestly. Annie spent so much of this book being sad and living in the past that it was annoying. I was wishing for few more thrills as well.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This was a very different kind of book than I was expecting. Not in a bad way, just different. I loved seeing Annie grow stronger throughout the book. I wish the author had gone more in depth about how the “magic” worked.

This was a fun enough little lark, but I just wanted more from it. I didn't really like any of the characters, either.

Cackle is a good read for those looking for a little spooky-season reading. The MC is a bit insufferable and I didn’t love the turn they make in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this eARC.

Is a cozy witch story a thing? Because if it is, that’s what the feeling this book is giving off. I was expecting something a little more like The Return, Harrison’s first novel that follows a group of friends at a strange hotel in the woods. That novel was fun, just like this one, and the pages were easy to turn, just like this one. The Return felt creepier though, and the twist at the end felt way darker than this book ever was.

Cackle, on a scale from easy reading to terrifying can’t-turn-out-the-lights was right around a Hocus Pocus level of scary. It ended up being exactly what the [witch]doctor ordered. There was some gross imagery, including a particular restaurant scene involving bones that totally weirded me out, but overall there wasn’t anything too gruesome of upsetting.

It was really more a story about a woman finding herself. After a full decade of dating Sam, Annie doesn’t even know who she is without him. So when she meets Sophie, she begins to discover all the ways she can enjoy life without him. She can have friends, and hobbies, and even a pet (and who wouldn’t want a pet like Ralph?!). Her identity doesn’t have to be and never was “So and so's Girlfriend”. She is Annie, a whole complete being with or without a partner.

Even though I had a bad feeling that Sophie was going to end up being too good to be true, this book surprised me with a pretty thoughtful ending that I wasn’t expecting. Also…seriously…I need Ralph in my life right now.

Overall: A fun way to kick off the Halloween season, but, overall, underwhelming for me.

Pros:
Break-Up. The way that Rachel Harrison writes about Annie’s break-up is extremely realistic.
Witchy-Goodness. This gives like the spoopy-spooky vibes. Like the friends you need in this situation this book has kinda deal.

Cons:
Slow Start. Similar to Rachel Harrison’s The Return this novel seemed to have a long-slow-start.

After an unexpected breakup, Annie moves to a small town in upstate New York in search of a new life. She quickly falls in love with the new town—and with a charming new friend, Sophie. Sophie takes Annie under her wing and helps her find a fresh start. But Annie soon notices that everyone in town seems a bit afraid of Sophie. Could it be she’s more powerful than she seems?

This was THE. PERFECT. HALLOWEEN. READ. It was creeping and paranormal and gave me the heebie jeebies, but it was also the kind of light, fun witchy stuff that I adore. I had a great time reading this, and now I also really want a pet spider.

After her long term boyfriend breaks up with her, Annie’s unwillingly starting a new life away from NYC’s bright lights. Lonely and alone in her idyllic new town, she welcomes the friendship of the beautiful Sophie. But there’s a lot more to Sophie than her beauty and seemingly kind gestures. Like ghosts, magic, and a very sweet and adorable pet spider.

Just don’t call her the W word.

4/5 ⭐️ for strong female characters and having just enough horror for my lightweight self to enjoy.

Hate spiders? You might want to skip this book. Even if Ralph is cute and good boy.

“I’m too scared to get bangs. How am I supposed to surrender everything for everything?”

We all know women like Annie. They’re kind enough. Pretty enough. But they’re meek. Weak. The kind of women that blend into the woodwork.

So when Annie’s longterm boyfriend dumps her she decides starting fresh in a new town is best. That’s how Annie winds up leaving the big city and accepting a teaching job in a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or more like everyone knows Sophie, the first person in town to befriend Sophie.

When Annie meets Sophie she can’t believe her luck. Sophie is beautiful, accomplished, and confident- everything Annie isn’t. But the more time Annie spends with Sophie, the more she learns not only about her mysterious new friend, but also about herself.

Cackle is the perfect Halloween read. It’s a quick moving story that in some ways, reminds me of books I read as a child. However, it’s also got an underlying feminist message that emphasizes the importance of being comfortable in your own skin.

Although it’s got revenge moments akin to Carrie like horror, it’s not a book that takes itself too seriously. I for one liked the quirkiness of the story and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an alternative to your typical spooky read.

From the first chapter I was drawn to this book because of Annie. Her heartbreak from Sam felt so realistic to me. I related to her awkwardness and quirks. I wish I'd had a chance to flee to an idyllic small town after my breakups!

When Annie gets to her new home, she quickly meets the beautiful and charming Sophie. Sophie is everything she could want in a friend and more. She's thoughtful, warm and funny. How come the entire town seems cautious about her?

We quickly find out Sophie is magical in more ways than we imagined!

This book is quirky and funny in the best ways. It's just dark enough to be a little spooky, but it's very light. The biggest focus is Annie learning how to love herself first and change her perspective on life. It's a friendship story that makes you feel good and cackle at the end.

Definitely give this one a try if you want a spooky season read that's cozy and hilarious!

If stories had color palettes, Cackle’s would be an ombre fade of white gradually turning to black. This is a book that vibes hard, though the vibes vary big time.

What starts out feeling like a NYC-set romcom slides through magical realism on its way to paranormal before ending with a wee bit of witchy horror. It’s almost like a writers’ relay, where chapters might have been written by different authors in the following order:

- Christina Lauren
- Sarah Addison Allen
- Alice Hoffman
- Anne Rice

Cackle follows a year in the life of 30-something Annie after she’s dumped by her boyfriend and moves from the big city to upstate New York to start over. She meets an impossibly beautiful woman named Sophie, and they become insta-BFFs. They drink a lot of wine, play dress up, and play with spiders. A LOT of spiders, most notably a big one named Ralph who has a jovial personality and dons a little hat. Through her friendship with her new feminist bestie - who, it goes without saying, is a witch - Annie learns to take back her power over her life while gaining powers over the universe.

While uneven in tone, Cackle is a great choice for a little Halloween reading that’s spooky enough to feel seasonal but not enough to scare. I can’t stress this enough though: Must Love Spiders.

3.5 stars

This is the equivalent of a romance novel, except it's celebrating the beauty of platonic love and self-love. Spooky and fun, I might keep a copy as a comfort read!